Protests at the raising of the French retirement age from 60 to 62 failed to draw massive crowds and strikes were tapering off today but union leaders said they would not abandon the fight until President Nicolas Sarkozy signs the bill passed by parliament.

While only a small number of trains were cancelled, a third of flights at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and half of those at Orly were grounded. A fifth of petrol stations remained empty or short of fuel.

In Paris, demonstrators waved union flags and set off flares, while in Marseille, they beat drums and blew whistles.

The interior ministry put the number of protesters at 560,000 nationwide while the CGT union said turnout was 2 million.

"It's true you could say the anti-reform movement is slowing down, but you need to ask why," Serba Germain, a 67-year-old retired police officer marching in Marseille, told the Associated Press. "People are disappointed, they are frustrated" because the government hasn't listened.

Unions and opposition parties urged Sarkozy not to sign the law, which polls show is unpopular. He is expected to do so by mid-November, after it is cleared by France's constitutional watchdog.

Socialist leader Martine Aubry urged Sarkozy to listen to the people. "We will fight until the end," she said.